Let’s GO.
We just closed the book on another season in the Bassmaster Elite Series with 21-year-old Trey McKinney securing his first Angler of the Year title… the youngest to ever do it. The Illinois native finished second in the two seasons prior, so he’ll be looking to defend his title from the Johnston brothers, Drew Cook, another young gun in Fisher Anaya, my man Seth Feider, and the rest of the talented Elite Series field. I was lucky enough to chat with Trey last week, so stay tuned for more from that conversation.
But today, the 2027 schedule was released, and it’s going to push these pros to their absolute limits. The tour will take the field everywhere from legendary largemouth spots in Texas and Florida all the way up to the elite smallmouth waters of the North, proving who actually has the versatility to win it all.
The action kicks off down in the Sunshine State from February 11th through the 14th on Lake Okeechobee, immediately followed by a stop at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes a week later. After that Florida swing, the boys will pack up and head west to battle it out across a gauntlet of tidal waters, massive reservoirs, and tricky river systems. Finally, they’ll wrap up the regular season up north with a pair of heavy-hitting smallmouth stops at Lake St. Clair and the mighty Mississippi River in my home state of Wisconsin… the Mississippi can be tough in August, it’ll be a challenge to wrap up there.
Phillip Johnson, B.A.S.S. Chief Operating Officer, says the plan was to be as versatile as possible this year, challenging anglers to be well-rounded in their bass fishing:
“The 2027 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series schedule represents exactly what we want this tour to be—a true test of the most versatile anglers in professional bass fishing. We’re going from iconic Florida fisheries and massive Texas reservoirs to challenging river systems and some of the best smallmouth fishing anywhere in the country. Every stop requires something different from our anglers, and that variety is what makes the Elite Series so compelling.”
The 2027 Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of bass fishing, will be on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, a blueback herring lake that features both largemouth and spotted bass.
Once again, half of the events will allow forward-facing sonar, which will be determined by a coin flip.
2027 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule
Feb. 11-14: Lake Okeechobee, Okeechobee, Fla.
Feb. 18-21: Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee, Fla.
March 19-21: Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C.
April 8-11: Sabine River, Orange, Texas
April 22-25: Lake Fork, Yantis, Texas
May 6-9: Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, Ga.
May 20-23: Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County, S.C.
June 17-20: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Columbus, Miss.
Aug. 5-8: Lake St. Clair, Macomb County, Mich.
Aug. 19-22: Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis.
You can watch the full reveal presentation, featuring Tommy Sanders and Ronnie Moore breaking down what we can expect from each stop:
